Swedish Royal Family’s crown jewels were reportedly stolen from a cathedral and the thieves are now on the run.

The thieves stole the “priceless” items from the Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, Sweden, and then fled away in a motorboat. The jewels were removed from the cathedral’s locked glass showcases when the church was open to visitors and a lunch fair was being held near the venue.

The stolen treasures, which belonged to King Karl IX and Queen Kristina, include two crowns and a royal orb. The items were adorned in gold, precious stones and dated back the 1600s.

Police spokesman Thomas Agnevik said a search operation to find the thieves and recover the royal items has been initiated but so far they have been unsuccessful in finding the suspects.

“We are looking for a small and open motorboat. We have some different information about how exactly the boat looked. We are now examining all the tips we receive. By boat you can reach Mälaren, Köping or Arboga in the west, or Västerås, Eskilstuna or Stockholm if you drive east. We direct our search in all these directions,” he said.

He added it was not possible to determine the value of the stolen goods.

“I have talked to someone at the county administrative board that says it is not possible to put an economic value on them – these are invaluable objects of national interest,” he said.

According to witness Tom Rowell after getting hold of the precious jewels, the thieves ran from the building, jumped in a white boat that had a motor behind it. He said he then contacted the police immediately and told them about the theft.

“The girls said it was odd, in this small quiet town...but the fact that the boat was waiting, it was obvious to me that they were burglars. I think it's awful; it's despicable that people would steal from a holy building and take something of historic and monetary value. I hope the police succeed in finding them,” he added.

A similar incident took place in 2012 when a man stole jewels from Princess Christina's apartment near the Royal Palace.